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The launch of Lansat 1.
NASA |
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This road in central Rondônia is a typical on the ground view of the "herringbone" pattern seen in satellite imagery.
© Virginia Dale ORNL |
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The first satellite dedicated to the observation of earth was put into orbit on July 23rd, 1972. Landsat 1 was built, designed, launched and operated as an experimental system and during the next 18 months delivered more than 100,000 images covering 75% of the earth's land surface. Five more have since gone up, and we are still receiving images from Landsat 5, which was launched in March, 1984. In fact, at least one Landsat satellite has been acquiring and transmitting earth images from space continuously since 1972.
A Powerful Tool Rescues Brazilian Rain Forest
These new images were put to immediate and effective use. In Rondônia, Brazil during the early 70's, it was suspected that large portions of the Amazon rain forest--the largest continuous region of tropical forest in the world--were being clear-cut at an alarming rate. But the thick vegetation and lack of access made gathering accurate data nearly impossible. And without solid evidence, arguments were at a standstill between environmental scientists who claimed irreparable damage was being done, and governments and logging concerns which claimed that the outcries were exaggerated.
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